Chương 117: Chapter 114 – Balanced on the Razor’s Edge

Ren swiftly descended on his flying sword toward the small building housing the node for the Sword Phase Array, a short distance away from the foothills. However, just as he arrived, a small group of four cultivators emerged from within. Stopping a short distance away, he bowed and greeted the strangers formally. They looked more curious than apprehensive at his appearance.

"Greeting, Seniors. I am called Zhao Ren. I was granted custodianship of the edge only recently." At that, understanding glances were exchanged. To Ren's discomfort, their pity was also on open display. Their leader, a chubby man, stepped forward and responded with casual charm.

"Greetings, Junior. I am Rong Bo. We greet the Custodian of The Edge. We will be entering the Sacred Ground of Ecstatic Salvation for a month. Here is a small greeting gift. Please don't refuse!" Ren was more than a little taken aback at the unearned display of respect as a small pouch was pressed into his palm. Before he could get suspicious Rong Bo continued.

"Since you are new, you might not be aware just yet, but the one who holds The Edge is often the final line of defense for those entering either the sacred ground or the forbidden region. Whether it is to provide aid or information, a person in your position is worthy of respect. Since we have entered these grounds before, do not trouble yourself. This is just some friendly advice!" Ren understood immediately. This was how past owners of the abode must have eked a living on these barren mountains.

By selling information on either of the two places and those who entered them. After all, the custodian was given a special privilege of entering the sacred grounds every 6 months. The forbidden ground also had no restrictions.

'Who better to ask for advice on a dangerous path than an experienced traveler?' Ren admitted it seemed obvious in retrospect. He could also provide aid for those who retreated from those dangerous territories with injuries. Ren had no doubt that past owners would have charged extra for medicine and assistance. This man had simultaneously educated Ren on the responsibilities expected of him and secured a positive relationship for when he would eventually perform them.

It reminded Ren that most cultivators had multiple hidden agendas. Fortunately, not all such hidden goals needed to harm his interests. He couldn't deny the sense of gratitude he felt at being taught about another prospective source of income. The 'small greeting gift' he had been handed certainly didn't hurt. His divine sense had already noticed the two mid-grade spirit stones inside. The equivalent of a month's stipend from the sect! He thanked Rong Bo sincerely for the guidance and saw them off.

Still thinking about the opportunity that had been revealed to him, he entered the building housing the node.

"There's definitely some potential to earn some spirit stones here, but without first entering the territories myself, I don't see myself earning a lot. At most I can earn some goodwill by providing aid. Hmm…" Ren placed his sect token on the pedestal, and the lingering thoughts were quickly pushed away by a surge of excitement. A short list of possible destinations appeared in his mind, and he viewed it eagerly.

He could choose any of the 7 Halls, his friends' personal abodes, and a few other places, all in the southern quadrant of the outer sect. For 1000 spirit stones, he could teleport to any of them! At the end of the list there was also listed the southern quadrant of the inner sect, but the cost listed beside it was twice as much as the others. Ren's enthusiasm was mildly dampened. As an inner sect member, he had the right to enter but not the means.

Ren only had around 50 mid-grade spirit stones or around 5000 low-grade spirit stones. It would take him 40 mid-grade spirit stones to go to the inner sect and return, leaving not nearly enough to buy the crucial things he needed to begin work on his mountain. He felt stifled.

'Why is the sect so obsessed with money! How is one supposed to feel closeness to the sect when everything is so restricted? Just scatter the disciples to the borders and leave them too poor to return?' But Ren could tell it was just him venting his frustrations and that he was being unfair. Naturally, he knew cause and effect mattered. If the formation was free to use, then people would begin to trivialize it.

If the countless inhabitants of the Azure Mountains were to use it without fear of cost, the formation might even be overwhelmed. Not to mention the cost to run and maintain it would fall entirely on the sect. Such a mighty formation likely devoured qi at an unimaginable rate. By paying to use it, no one could take it for granted, and the costs were offset to some extent. But just because it made sense didn't mean Ren couldn't be annoyed. He would have to settle for visiting the inner sect another time.

He let out a small sigh. Though the outer sect had already thoroughly impressed him, he couldn't help but be curious about what dazzling vistas the inner sect would contain. But the thought didn't last for long. Such a day couldn't be too far away! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. With that, Ren selected the node for the Hall of Learning and placed the required amount of spirit stones on the pedestal.

The formation glowed on activation, and he once again began to fall backward through hundreds of imperceptibly thin sheets. He stumbled as he landed but quickly moved clear of the node. There were multiple arrays around him, constantly activating with people coming and going. The sheer scale of activity was a little intimidating in itself. However, Ren was too excited to think on it for long. He followed the stream of cultivators to enter the nearby pagoda, which was the Hall of Learning.

The buildings representing the 7 main halls always stood out discernibly. They were grandiose, monolithic constructions. As if their mere presence were a reminder to others to not forget their place. They were lavishly decorated but not garish. The wealth was understated but unignorable. Inside the Hall of Learning, which was far larger inside than it appeared on the outside, everything glowed with qi. Everything he saw was made of materials that would not decay for a millennia.

Beautiful tapestries and paints decorated the walls on the entrance floor. The scenes depicted on them were artistic and inherently powerful. Merely looking at them sent fragments of images and emotions racing through his mind. Ren spent a shameful amount of time gawping like a country bumpkin, but he couldn't help himself. This hall was far more tastefully decorated than the Qi Hall he had visited previously. Everyone was going about their business quietly.

Many employees were carrying around armfuls of scrolls and scurrying about busily. They also had the air of scholar warriors, some carrying swords openly and others no doubt carrying them in secret spatial treasures. Finally approaching a desk where an employee was sitting as a guide, Ren asked how he could find the information he desired. The friendly young woman showed him how there were pedestals all around the pagoda containing the catalogues that he could quickly search through.

She also informed him of the layout of the hall. Only the uppermost floor was forbidden without express permission because of the forbidden knowledge contained therein. There were also a few floors for classes, lectures, and debates. The rest of the floors contained books, scrolls, jades, and more about a plethora of topics. There were detailed records on history, scholarly treatises, philosophical lectures, trade agreements, art, and many more.

The sect had accumulated it over the course of its prolonged existence, and its depths were truly unfathomable! Ren hadn't experienced love before, but he supposed it would feel something like this. The lifespan of a core formation realm cultivator was said to be around 1000 years, and even that might not be enough to read it all! And this was just the outer sect! The inner sect and the core sect surely had even more comprehensive information. And what about the 6 other halls?

They likely matched these depths in their respective fields! Ren's head spun on imagining it all, but he politely thanked the young lady and went looking for the information he desired. The reason he had come to this hall first was because what he most needed was not special techniques or martial skills. He had wanted to know more about not just his new abode but also this sect that had become his home. Upon understanding just how impossible a task that was, Ren prioritized his immediate concerns first.

With that goal in mind, Ren spent nearly half a day tracking down the entries for the Sacred Ground and the Forbidden Region neighboring his abode. Unfortunately for Ren, the records he found were more about the experiences of those who delved into those spaces rather than an explanation of their existence. Only after digging through countless accounts, allowing him to encounter rare scraps of information, did Ren understand the seriousness of his predicament.

Sacred grounds and forbidden regions were supremely high-level assets that the powerhouses of the continent had fought entire wars over! Containing unique resources and phenomena yet being limited in number, these lands were extremely desirable. Their origins were shrouded in mystery, which made them impossible to replicate. If there were any true details known, Ren doubted they would be kept in the outer sect.

Ren finally learned the history behind his new home, ' The Edge of Ecstatic Salvation and Eternal Damnation'. On one side, the forbidden region, where ravening ghosts and undead creatures wandered, seeking and devouring every scrap of life they could find. A terrifying, poisoned land where it was more likely you would bolster the numbers of the undead with your own corpse rather than escape with something of worth. A place only the fearless or desperate dared to travel into.

There were even mentions of an ancient war fought with a powerhouse on the level of the Azure Mountains, the Valley of Eternal Peace, over this land. However, the records Ren was reading in the outer sect only referred to the outskirts, the shallows of the forbidden region, so they lacked clarity. On the other side of 'The Edge', the sacred ground was filled with abundant life. Where longevity treasures were found in abundance, capable of significantly increasing one's lifespan even without a breakthrough.

At first, Ren thought it sounded like a paradise until he read further. How could a sacred ground be without danger?! Apparently, those who entered could easily end up surrendering their own lifespan until they subsisted as withered husks. A form of unlife, craving death but unable to find it! Ren had to suppress a shudder when he comprehended its meaning. The life that formed there was also twisted, limited in some way, but the accounts couldn't agree on this matter.

Some said the creatures within lacked emotion and would steal it from the intruders. Others claimed that being stuffed with life qi matured them forcefully, thus lacking the proper instincts. A few even claimed that the life there was unnatural and made of things that shouldn't even be alive. There were many other theories, but they all agreed on only one point. The sacred ground was dangerous. Ren's eye twitched, wishing he had remained in the dark.

Another part of him was fervently cursing the outer sect manager, Zhen Nan, who had foisted this headache upon him. At last, Ren had learned the truth behind 'The Edge'. It was a despoiled no-man's land between two immense, conflicting energies. An anomaly that shouldn't exist, as the mixing of such strongly opposing energies was far more likely to end with a cataclysmic explosion. Through some quirk of nature it had stabilized.

Leaving aside whether he could even make a change, the consequences of destabilizing the precarious balance were unimaginable. Ren was living on a mountain that could turn into an exploding volcano, annihilating everything at the slightest misstep!